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Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Maui
is a demigod—half god, half mortal, all awesome. Charismatic and
funny, he wields a magical fishhook that allows him to shapeshift
into all kinds of animals and pull up islands from the sea. He
lassoed the sun to give humans longer days and harnessed the breeze
for their benefit.

Filmmakers
called on superstar Dwayne Johnson to provide the voice of Maui in
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 56th animated feature “Moana,”
the sweeping, CG-animated film about a spirited teenager who sails
out on a daring mission to prove herself a master wayfinder and
fulfill her ancestors’ unfinished quest.

“He’s
very connected to his Samoan roots,” says director Ron Clements.
“Maui is a charismatic character and Dwayne is nothing if not
charismatic. He has great comedic timing, nails the action scenes and
is so likable. And he can sing.”

Johnson
was sold on the role. “We all grew up with stories of Maui—this
great demigod who’s larger than life,” he says. “It just blows
you away as a kid. So it was an opportunity to showcase my culture
and to be part of something that was truly historic. And I’m not
saying that because I’m a little biased.”

Artists
were inspired by the actor. “There is definitely a little Dwayne in
Maui,” says art director of characters Bill Schwab. “We didn’t
want it to feel like a caricature, we just wanted to convey the
feeling of Dwayne—which really comes out in the animation with his
eyebrows. We were also inspired by his maternal grandfather, who was
also a wrestler. He just really had to look cool.”

“I
paid close attention to how Dwayne would accent his dialogue with his
head movement,” says animation supervisor Mack Kablan. “Dwayne
has this air of confidence to him that was really well-suited to the
character of Maui that we wanted to incorporate.”

In
the film’s story, Maui was once considered the greatest hero in
Oceania, but after a fateful decision, he finds himself banished to
solitude. “Maui is responsible for the trouble that threatens
Moana’s people,” says director John Musker. “He’s paying a
price for his actions and is somewhat of a lost hero—a shadow of
his former self.”

“He’s
always looking for man’s approval,” says head of story David
Pimentel. “He wants to be liked.”

“The
more praise he gets, the more he wants to do,” adds John Ripa, head
of story. “So he decides to steal the heart of Te Fiti, thinking
it’ll win him the love and adoration of everyone. He believes it’ll
give him the power of creation. He has no idea of the damage it
does—of the darkness that is unleashed.”

It’ll
take hundreds of years and one determined teenager for him to have
the opportunity to undo his actions. “Moana needs him to right his
wrongs and restore what’s been lost,” says Musker.

Embarking
on an important journey of self-discovery alongside Moana, Maui
brings his super strength—as well as his super-sized issues. “He
has an all-encompassing drive to succeed that gets him into trouble,”
concludes Clements. “But facing the reason behind it isn’t easy.”

Opening
across the Philippines on Nov. 30, Moana is distributed by Walt
Disney Studios Motion Pictures through Columbia Pictures. Like us on
Facebook, WaltDisneyStudiosPH; follow us on Twitter, @disney_phil;
follow us on Instagram, @disney.ph and
use the hashtag #MoanaPH.